The Utah Jazz had three rookies coming into the 2024-25 season: Cody Williams, Isaiah Collier, and Kyle Filipowski. Williams was a disaster his rookie year, but the other two were actually pretty impressive as both were later picks in the draft.
The odds of finding quality NBA player after the lottery are actually pretty low, so finding two of them makes it all the sweeter. Both Collier and Filipowski made themselves stand out in their own individual ways.
It took a minute, but Collier's passing blossomed over the latter half of his rookie season. He performed so well as a playmaker that he actually broke the Jazz's record for most assists dished out as a rookie, previously held by John Stockton.
In Filipowski's case, he was the first rookie in franchise history to put up 30 points and 15 rebounds in a single - something not even Karl Malone did - and showed throughout the year how offensively well-rounded he was.
Both of them proved that they have an NBA skill in a rookie class considered pretty weak compared to others. Despite the two of them showing progress, voters for Rookie of the Year did not think either of them stood out compared to their peers.
Neither Collier nor Filipowski got a vote for ROTY
Even in what was considered a weak rookie class, no one expected Collier or Filipowski to win the Rookie of the Year. However, while neither took home the award - shoutout to Stephon Castle as he deserved it - what was very noteworthy was that neither even received a vote.
It's not too surprising that they weren't considered among the best three rookies in their class, but not getting a vote period is the real headscratcher, especially when looking at some of the rookies who got one instead of them.
Case and point: Jared McCain, as impressive as he was, only appeared in 23 games. He may turn out better than Filipowski and McCain do. In fact, he may even turn out to be one of the best players in this draft, but he barely played in over a quarter of the season.
By virtue of simply not putting up the same regular season totals, there's no way he had a better rookie season than the two Jazz rookie standouts. Again, not an indictment on McCain's overall ceiling, but their availability gave them a better case.
One potential explanation is that neither rookie was featured prominently on the worst team in the NBA, record-wise. Players like Matas Buzelis and Kel'El Ware were productive on teams fighting for the playoffs, which may have earned them more respect because their efforts led to results.
Whether or not they were better than Collier and Filipowski is up for debate, but being featured rotation players on teams trying to win may have helped their case with some voters. It's an unfortunate consequence when playing for a tanking team.
It is a shame that neither Filipowski's nor Collier's efforts were recognized, as they deserved some. Neither name showing up in the results shows that their performances fell under the radar. If anything this could be a good thing for them.
Falling under the radar could give both Jazz youngsters the motivation to show just how good they are when they enter Year 2. Both have shown that they belong in the NBA, but have flaws to work out. Perhaps this is what gives Collier the extra push to improve his jumper just like this could Filipowski the push to become a better two-way big man.
There's always a bright side from occurrences like these. Sometimes being underestimated is exactly what young talent needs to take that next step. A lot could be in store for the Jazz with both Collier and Filipowski itching to have something to prove.